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CARRlER Rme grim April 14, 1959 E. ST. PIERRE 2,381,607

YARN CONTROL MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 25, 1957 3Sheets-Sheet, 1

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uunzgo 9mm uuzim Eves/v5 5r Hakka United States Patent YARN CONTROLMECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Pawtucket, R.I., assignor to HemphillEugene St. Pierre,

R.I., a corporation of Massa- Company, Pawtucket, chusetts Thisinvention relates to a new and useful improvement in yarn feedingmechanisms intended primarily for circular, independent needle, knittingmachines, but not necessarily limited to them.

In certain types of knitting, by means of a circular, independentneedle, knitting machine, upon less than the full complement of needlesas, for example, in patterning, the idle needles are rendered inactiveby being raised above the others so that their shanks are at the sameheight as the hooks of the needles which are in use or to be used. Underthese conditions, when a yarn lever is being lowered to feed a yarn tothe active needles, the yarn is first engaged by the shanks of inactiveneedles before it has dropped to feeding level and is displaced so thatit may be missed by the hook of the first needle which is supposed toreceive it. This invention is effective in preventing such a happening.

One form of the invention is shown in the drawing, of which Figure l isan elevation, partly in section, of the carrier ring and binder plate ofa circular hosiery knitting machine, showing the yarn levers of theinvention in idle position,

Figure 2 is a similar view showing one of the yarn levers in yarnfeeding position and the manner in which this invention insures that itsyarn will be properly fed;

Figure 3 is a plan view of substantially the same parts; and

Figure 4 is an elevation showing, primarily, an operating mechanism forthe yarn controlling device proper.

As shown in Figure l, the invention consists of a finger 1, one end 2 ofwhich is adapted to engage yarn between the yarn feeding levers and thebinder 3. Finger 1 may be mounted upon the carrier ring 4 by a suitablebracket 5 to which it is pivoted as at 6. Engageable with the other end7 of finger 1 is the lever 8 by which this end 7 can be raised and theother end 2 correspondingly lowered, as shown in Figure 2.

In Figure 1, the yarn levers 9 are idle, with the yarns 10 running fromthem to the binder 3. In Figure 2, one of the yarn levers 9, which hasbeen numbered 11 to differentiate it from the others, is down in yarnfeeding position. Normally, the yarn fed by this lever 11 would be takenby the hooks of the needles without difliculty; but, when knitting upononly a part of the needles as in patterning, and when the remainingneedles are rendered idle by being raised so that they will pass overthe stitch cams, the yarn fed by yarn lever 11 will be engaged by theshanks of idle needles as it is being lowered and deflected out ofhook-engaging position. To avoid this, all of the yarns are engagedmomentarily by the finger 1 before yarn finger 11 is lowered, as shownin Figure 2, and moved to feeding height with respect to the hooks ofthe active needles. Consequently, even though the yarn fed by yarn lever11 is first engaged by the shanks of idle needles preceding the firstneedle which is to knit at a height above Patented Apr. 14, 1959 thehook of this needle, it will enter the hook of this first needle. Beforethis occurs, lever 11 will have dropped to feeding position and the yarnfed by it will feed properly to the remaining needles withoutassistance. Similarly, when a succeeding yarn is substituted, the deviceoperates again upon this yarn in the same way and for the same purpose.

The means for operating finger 1 consists of the lever 8, alreadymentioned, which is pivotally mounted on a suitable bracket 12 supportedby any convenient part of the machine. One end 13 of lever 8 underliesend 7 of finger 1, as already explained. The other end 14 of lever 8 isconnected by a suitable link 15 to a pivoted rocker 16 as at 17, theother end 18 of said rocker being adapted to follow suitable cams 19upon a drum 20.

Cams 19 are so spaced upon drum 20, and drum 20 is so rotated, that end2 of finger 1 will be momentarily lowered to deflect an incoming yarn,as described, through the passage of end 18 of rocker 16 over a cam 19,as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4.

Although finger 1, when operated, engages and lowers all of the yarnsrunning from yarn levers 9, only the yarn from yarn lever 11 will bedirected to the needle hooks because all of the other yarn levers are upout of action and holding their yarns within the needle circle so thatthey cannot engage the hooks of any needles. Of course, at each changeof yarns one yarn is brought in and another is taken out of action. As ayarn is removed from action, the finger should be raised to permit thatyarn to enter the binder in a normal manner.

Cams 19 may, if desired, be located on the drum which controls yarnlevers 9 since the operation of finger 1 has a definite timed relationto the operation of the yarn fingers. Whenever the drum is rotated tocause a change of yarn, the same rotation can be utilized to operatefinger 1.

I claim:

1. In a circular, independent needle knitting machine having a needlecylinder, needles, yarn feeding fingers positioned outside said cylinderand needles and movable to and from an active yarn feeding position, anda yarn cutter and binder within said cylinder in a position to retainthose yarns which are to be maintained temporarily inactive, and a yarnengaging member periodically movable under pattern control for pressingthose yarns which extend from inactive feeding fingers to said binderdownwardly just prior to and during a yarn change.

2. Mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said member comprises apivoted lever one end of which is in position to press downwardly uponsaid yarns and the other of which is connected for actuation by apattern means.

3. Mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein saidmember comprises apivoted lever one end of which is in position to press downwardly uponsaid yarns and the other of which has connection to a pattern controlledsystem of levers.

4. In a circular, independent needle knitting machine having a needlecylinder, needles, yarn feeding fingers positioned outside said cylinderand needles and movable to and from an active yarn feeding position anda yarn cutter and binder within said cylinder in a position to retainthose yarns which are to be maintained temporarily inactive, and patterncontrolled means for periodically pressing those yarns which extend frominactive feeding fingers to said binder downwardly just prior to andduring a yarn change.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,122,845 Raulston et a1 July 5, 1938

